To operate, computing systems need a source of power. Certain computing systems include power supplies, which provide power to internal components, such as motherboards, processors, and memory.
Power supplies may convert one form of electrical power to another desired form and voltage. In certain systems, this involves converting 120 or 240 V alternating current supplied by a utility company to a lower direct current voltage used for the internal components.
Power supplies can include switched-mode power supplies and linear regulator power supplies. Certain switched-mode power supplies include a transistor and transformer network that switches the load current rapidly on and off in order to stabilize the output voltage.
Certain linear regulator power supplies use a transformer to convert AC voltage to a lower AC voltage. For example, the linear regulator power supply can rectify the lower AC voltage with one or more diodes. Additionally, these linear regulator power supplies can include a capacitor to smooth out variations in the rectified signal. Next, a linear regulator can be used to decrease the voltage based on the requirements of the circuits powered by the power supply.